NEW North American Indian Myths & Legends Navajo Algonquin Iroquois Sioux Pawnee

CAD 37.02Buy It Now12d, CAD 31.73 Shipping, 30-Day Returns

Seller:ancientgifts(4,186)99.3%,
Location: Lummi Island, Washington,
Ships to: Worldwide,
Item:381746771353TRANSLATE Arabic Chinese French German Greek Indonesian Italian Hindi Japanese Korean Swedish Portuguese Russian Spanish Your browser does not support JavaScript. To view this page, enable JavaScript if it is disabled or upgrade your browser. Click here to see almost 800 archaeology/ancient history books and 500 authentic ancient artifacts on our eBay store! Myths and Legends Series: North American Indians by Lewis Spence, with Illustrations from Drawings and Famous Paintings. DESCRIPTION: Hardback with Dust Jacket: 392 pages. Publisher: Studio Editions; (1993). In countless tepees, across the wide expanse of the North American continent, the Indian storytellers filled the hours of darkness with tales of myth and magic that held their audiences spellbound. Before the arrival of the Europeans, more than three hundred tribal groups lived in the forests, mountains, and plains of North America. For these Indians, the stories were more than mere entertainment, they were an essential part of a culture based upon a common understanding of mankind’s place in nature. As such the mythology was inseparable from the ceremonies and beliefs of the tribes. In many, such as the Navajo, the mythology was inextricably bound with tribal ceremony and beliefs. Dancers who donned masks to represent gods thereby assumed the spiritual strengths associated with them. The stories that were told varied according to tribe, but they were united by many common themes. Trusting yet superstitious, the American Indian lived close to nature, at one with his surroundings. The mountains, forests, and plains are the settings for these charming stories, which center on hunting, trapping, and other pastoral pursuits. In all of them, the elements play an important part, just as they did in the lives of the Indians themselves. The open air, the wind, the sun, the trees, the stones and the hills were all believed to be living things; even the night and the day. Presiding over all was the Great Spirit, the supreme Indian deity. Many stories tell of a time when the earth was different than it is today, before the coming of the tribes, when animals were considered to be human too. Totemism, the belief that animals had inhabited the land before man and were this better equipped by nature and cunning to survive than primitive mankind, is the prevalent characteristic of the Indian mythologies. The Indians had come to believe that the animals shared their spirit, being at the same time animal and human, thus retaining the ability to assume human form. Animals had souls, spirits, and supernatural powers; while the latecomer, man, was different. Man was merely of flesh and bone. However animals could help him if they chose to. Wild animals, therefore, play a significant role in North American mythology, and include a menagerie of animal-gods, from birds – most notably the eagle, which was venerated by almost every tribe, to serpents, bears, even coyotes. Sine the advent of the white man, the vast majority of the tribes have been all but wiped out, leaving little to remain except memories, many of which are distorted by Hollywood. Nearer to the truth are these stories, the cultural legacy of many races and tribes over thousands of years. “North American Indians” presents a balanced account of their narrative traditions. A fascinating, brief history of the tribes, their cultures, and beliefs prefaces the stories that the Algonquin, the Iroquois, Sioux, Pawnee, and others loved to hear. Included also is a useful glossary that will guide the reader through the tales, for many of the stories existed in a variety of different forms. A map illustrates the distribution of the tribes, and there are thirty full color illustrations of the characters and events described in the myths. CONDITION: Light shelf wear, yellowed pages, otherwise clean and in Very Good condition. PLEASE SEE IMAGES BELOW FOR SAMPLE PAGES FROM INSIDE OF BOOK. PLEASE SEE PUBLISHER, PROFESSIONAL, AND READER REVIEWS BELOW. PUBLISHER REVIEW: REVIEW: James Lewis Thomas Chalmers Spence was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, in 1874. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and became Vice-President of the Scottish Anthropological and Folklore Society. He is perhaps best known for his comprehensive “Encyclopedia of Occultism” (1920) that was the first work of its kind and, like this book, is still useful today. He is also known for “The Myths of Mexico and Peru” (1913), “The Myths of Ancient Egypt” (1915), and “The History of Atlantis” (1926). Spence was awarded a Royal pension in 1951 for Services to Literature, and died in 1955. PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS: REVIEW: In “The Myths of the North American Indians”, Lewis Spence offers insight into what is unique and distinctive about the Native-American cultures and peoples. Part ethnography, part history, and part literary study, this collection is accessible to academic scholars and mainstream readers alike. Spence presents the distinct cultural and social differences between tribal groups as he examines hunting, costumes, and the afterlife. Spence explores native identity, life, and environment, and at the same time draws connections to similar European motifs and ideologies. REVIEW: Rich anthology of the myths and legends of the Algonquins, Iroquois, Pawnees and Sioux, prefaced by an extensive historical and ethnological commentary. Simply written tales of warrior rivalries, steadfast love and victory over powerful forces are suitable reading for youngsters and entertaining enough for adults. READER REVIEW: REVIEW: This book is a collection of Native American myths and legends from all over North America. There are stories from many different tribes, like the Pawnees, the Chinooks, and the Haida. One of my favorites is from the Algonquin tribe. The story is about how Glooskap, the Algonquin Sun god, conquered all the evil spirits to be found. Then he met his match at the hands of a baby. He was trying to get the baby to come to him, but the baby refused to move. Finally, Glooskap ran away in frustration, and that myth ended. This book has a section for myths and legends, and a section for information about the legends. I always ship books Media Mail in a padded mailer. This book is shipped FOR FREE via USPS INSURED media mail (“book rate”). All domestic shipments and most international shipments will include free USPS Delivery Confirmation (you might be able to update the status of your shipment on-line at the USPS Web Site and free insurance coverage). A small percentage of international shipments may require an additional fee for tracking and/or delivery confirmation. If you are concerned about a little wear and tear to the book in transit, I would suggest a boxed shipment - it is an extra $1.00. Whether via padded mailer or box, we will give discounts for multiple purchases. International orders are welcome, but shipping costs are substantially higher. Most international orders cost an additional $12.99 to $33.99 for an insuredshipment in a heavily padded mailer, and typically includes some form of rudimentary tracking and/or delivery confirmation (though for some countries, this is only available at additional cost). There is also a discount program which can cut postage costs by 50% to 75% if you’re buying about half-a-dozen books or more (5 kilos+). Rates and available services vary a bit from country to country. You can email or message me for a shipping cost quote, but I assure you they are as reasonable as USPS rates allow, and if it turns out the rate is too high for your pocketbook, we will cancel the sale at your request. ADDITIONAL PURCHASES do receive a VERY LARGE discount, typically about $5 per book (for each additional book after the first) so as to reward you for the economies of combined shipping/insurance costs. Your purchase will ordinarily be shipped within 48 hours of payment. We package as well as anyone in the business, with lots of protective padding and containers. All of our shipments are sent via insured mail so as to comply with PayPal requirements. We do NOT recommend uninsured shipments, and expressly disclaim any responsibility for the loss of an uninsured shipment. Unfortunately the contents of parcels are easily “lost” or misdelivered by postal employees – even in the USA. That’s why all of our domestic shipments (and most international) shipments include a USPS delivery confirmation tag; or are trackable or traceable, and all shipments (international and domestic) are insured. We do offer U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail, Registered Mail, and Express Mail for both international and domestic shipments, as well United Parcel Service (UPS) and Federal Express (Fed-Ex). Please ask for a rate quotation. We will accept whatever payment method you are most comfortable with. If upon receipt of the item you are disappointed for any reason whatever, I offer a no questions asked return policy. Send it back, I will give you a complete refund of the purchase price (less our original shipping costs). Most of the items I offer come from the collection of a family friend who was active in the field of Archaeology for over forty years. However many of the items also come from purchases I make in Eastern Europe, India, and from the Levant (Eastern Mediterranean/Near East) from various institutions and dealers. Though I have always had an interest in archaeology, my own academic background was in sociology and cultural anthropology. After my retirement however, I found myself drawn to archaeology as well. Aside from my own personal collection, I have made extensive and frequent additions of my own via purchases on Ebay (of course), as well as many purchases from both dealers and institutions throughout the world – but especially in the Near East and in Eastern Europe. I spend over half of my year out of the United States, and have spent much of my life either in India or Eastern Europe. In fact much of what we generate on Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay goes to support The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, as well as some other worthy institutions in Europe connected with Anthropology and Archaeology. I acquire some small but interesting collections overseas from time-to-time, and have as well some duplicate items within my own collection which I occasionally decide to part with. Though I have a collection of ancient coins numbering in the tens of thousands, my primary interest is in ancient jewelry. My wife also is an active participant in the "business" of antique and ancient jewelry, and is from Russia. I would be happy to provide you with a certificate/guarantee of authenticity for any item you purchase from me. There is a $2 fee for mailing under separate cover. Whenever I am overseas I have made arrangements for purchases to be shipped out via domestic mail. If I am in the field, you may have to wait for a week or two for a COA to arrive via international air mail. But you can be sure your purchase will arrive properly packaged and promptly - even if I am absent. And when I am in a remote field location with merely a notebook computer, at times I am not able to access my email for a day or two, so be patient, I will always respond to every email. Please see our "ADDITIONAL TERMS OF SALE." On May-11-13 at 01:44:38 PDT, seller added the following information: Every buyer gets a MyStoreRewards invitation for cash back